A Strange and Moving HistoryA history writer's delight or nightmare? This little island has changed hands over 30 times in the last four centuries, as European powers slaughtered each other over it.
We are not historians, just fascinated by history. But here's a highly abbreviated though fairly accurate account of the goings-on. Much of it could be found in a map entitled " Historic Tobago", which appears to be an official publication, inasmuch, since it bears the Coat of Arms and the Seal of Tobago, and it’s Motto: "She Becomes More Beautiful".
Tobago's begins with the Amerindians. There were two tribes of them, the Caribs and the Arawaks. When I went to elementary school, the teachers made things really simple for us. They told us the Caribs were "warlike" and the Arawaks were "peaceful". We accepted that, and this is all I could remember learning about that. (But that was so long ago!)
Today, their existence is commemorated by a beer, - "Carib!" - and by a brand of frozen chicken - "Arawak" . Besides that there have been some archeological digs by the universities. There are no surviving Amerindians in Tobago. Trinidad has a small community of Carib descendants striving to preserve their culture. There are some surviving Amerindians in the interior of Guyana, and I believe, in the islands of St.Vincent and Dominica Columbus is said to have 'discovered' this place toward 1498. Claimed it in the name of the king or queen of Spain.
Let's jump to the 17th century.
THE DUTCH AND THE DUKE OF COURLAND1642 - We find Dutch settlers located at what became Fort Milford (Belle Vista) under protection of Duke of Courland. (See Places to See - Plymouth for an account of James Kettler's adventures, and his efforts to colonize Tobago.)
Quite naturally, they were attacked by Indians and and the fort was destroyed. Would you have taken kindly to strange people in strange clothes who arrive in strange vessels talking a strange language and who started to build housing settlements on your land? 1680 - Ft Bennet, in the community that is now called Black Rock, was established by Courlanders. It got its name from Robert Benet, described as "an English mercenary". A 2-cannon battery is still there as evidence of the occupation.
1681 - The Courlanders are consolidating their position, and hoping to make their maark in history. They established Fort Monck where Mt Irvine now stands - named after a Colonel Franz Monck. All this activity attracts the attention of the Indians again and they devastate the fort. This time they have on their side the advantage of disease among the newcomers. Within 2 years there is no trace of the fort.
The place is now known as Rocky Point. By now the Courlanders are prepared to give Tobago up to history, and Ft. Bennet was abandoned, mainly due to Amerindian aggression.
THE BRITISH1765 - By this time Island is in British hands. A survey of the island is commissioned by William Young and Council to reserve woodlands, repair mills and fortifications. Out of that came the present Forest Reserve on the main ridge of the island.
And so it is that while the Americans were making history in the fight for their political independence, the conservation movement was getting started in Tobago A proposed town called Milford was to be erected near to a fort where the airport now is, and the fort took its name from the proposed town - Fort Milford.
About 1770 - They build Ft Granby overlooking Barbados Bay, planning to erect a Capital at nearby Georgetown. The Marquis of Granby, a Seven Years War hero is the one to have his name put down in history in connection with this fortification. All that remains of Ft.Granby today is one tomb, presumably a soldier's.
About the same time the British army establishes a post at Ft Milford (a stone's throw from the present Crown Point airport) with a 2-cannon battery. They are able to maintain it until the French beat them out of Tobago 1781. THE SLAVE REVOLTFt Bennet is manned by the Tobago militia "and trusted slaves". Not a bad idea, because there was a slave revolt and they attacked the British picket post at Fort James.
Now if you were a slave with no hope and no prospects except work all day every day, would you not take the opportunity to revolt?
After that, the British set up a battery with a militia at Fort James, which, by the way, is the oldest fort on the island. It was originally established by the Courlanders as Jekabfort.
THE FRENCH AND THE AMERICANS1777 - By this time,according to history, the Americans and the French were a mutual admiration society. The Americans had just defeated their British colonial masters, and the French were nursing grudges over their humiliation by Britain in the French and Indian wars. In 1776 Ben Franklin had just been made the first ambassador to France in history. The Americans and the French became united in harassing the British. American privateers took to raiding British sugar interest, including those in Tobago.
So a 2 gun Batterie was erected at Cambleton to defend against them. There were other such installations around the island - one at Ft James.
THE FRENCH TAKE OVER1781 - On 24th May French General Blanchelande invaded Tobago. Within six days he had occupied French Fort.French Fort overlooked the British redout at Concordia to the north-west, and Tobago fell to the French by British surrender. The French destroyed the batterie at Fort James
1784 - The French began building Ft Castries on the site of what is now Fort St. George. They took 3 to 4 years to build it.
I have no idea who Castries was, but he must have been somebody really influential in the French world, since he seems to have left his name also on the Capital of St. Lucia.
1787 - Ft Castries is now complete, so there is no more use for French Fort, as Ft Castries overlooked Port Louis ( the present-day Scarborough). French Fort is abandoned by the French, as was Ft Granby was earlier by the English. French Fort is now the site of several communication antennae, including those of the local Radio Tambrin, FM 92.1
1790 - For some reason I can't determine, 'the French troops at Ft. Castries revolted, jailed their officers, and set Fort Louis on fire
HERE COME THE BRITISH AGAIN1793 - British redcoats recapture Tobago and France passes out of tobago history. Ft Milford is re-occupied and remained so until the army departed in 1854. Ft Castries came under British occupation - and had a name change to Fort King George in 1803/4. The present Ft James was erected in 1800's.
1811 - Fort St. George was extended and a garrison posted.
1854 - Troops withdrawn from Ft King George.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGOBy the turn of the century Tobago was made part of the same jurisdiction as Trinidad, presumably more for administrative convenience than anything else, and so there came to be Trinidad and Tobago.
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